Short Answer Questions

1. What is remarkable about the turkey that Gopnik receives in The Strike?

2. What prevents signs and cultures from going universal?

3. What was the profession of Gopnik's parents?

4. What is the name of the post-structuralist philosopher that enjoys French cuisine?

5. What is the name of the movement that brought an emphasis on spices to compete with this ethic of the soil?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Gopnik and Quelin discuss in their dinner together?

2. How do the French feel about American Halloween?

3. What idea does Alice have for a restaurant in the Louvre?

4. Why does Gopnik think that writing is sometimes a depressing job?

5. According to Gopnik, what is the French dream of producerism?

6. Why does Gopnik view the French as stubborn in the chapter, The Strike?

7. Why does Gopnik realize that trying to buy out the owner of the Balzar would be unsuccessful in A Handful of Cherries?

8. How are pregnant women treated in France?

9. What was the goal of the strikers in the chapter, The Strike?

10. What request did Claude Blanchot make to the association of Balzar supporters in A Handful of Cherries?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss how Gopnik establishes the setting of Paris in the novel and how the setting contributes to the plot and themes introduced in the book.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the point of view utilized by Adam Gopnik in "Paris to the Moon". As this was a deliberate choice discuss why Gopnik may have selected the view he did and how the view employed was effective in the development of important themes. Make sure and specific textual examples to support your assertions.

Essay Topic 3

Identify at least three extended metaphors included in "Paris to the Moon" and discuss how Gopnik establishes them and uses them to contribute to thematic patterning.